Kinniya wails over ferry tragedy

• 6 drowned, 17 hospitalised and many missing after ferry capsizes 
• Four of the six deaths were school children
• SL Navy engages in search and rescue mission
• Angry residents clash with Police, attack MP’s house

Six people were killed and 17 hospitalised, while many are still missing after the ferry transporting passengers capsized in Kuringankerni lagoon in Kinniya, Trincomalee yesterday.

The Police said four of the six people who died were school children. The ferry had been transporting a group of school children and teachers when it capsized last morning.

The Sri Lanka Navy is engaged in a search and rescue mission to find the missing passengers who were onboard the ferry at the time of the incident.

According to reports, the ferry service had been operated due to the renovation of the existing Kuringankerni bridge, which had been ongoing for a long period.

Following the tragedy, a tense situation ensued in Kinniya, when the public clashed with the Police and protested against the incompetence of the authorities.

Sri Lanka Muslim Council (SLMC) MP M.S. Thowfeek’s house in Kinniya was also attacked by the public.